Thales and the Dutch Ministry of Defence have entered into an agreement to expand radar production and testing capabilities in the Netherlands, strengthening the country’s defense-industrial infrastructure.
The initiative will center on Thales’ Hengelo facilities and includes the construction of new manufacturing and testing assets. Planned upgrades feature a near-field radar testing center with an anechoic chamber, increased production capacity for advanced printed circuit boards, and the addition of a new radar test tower. The agreement also covers the establishment of dedicated training facilities to support workforce development.
According to Thales, the investments are expected to boost antenna production capacity by 60 percent between 2026 and 2028.
The expansion follows a series of recent defense initiatives involving the company. Thales recently partnered with Hanwha Aerospace to evaluate the integration of Chunmoo rockets and missiles into the X-Fire modular launcher system. The company has also collaborated with AURA AERO on the Enbata medium-altitude, long-endurance drone program, which will feature the AirMaster C radar for ISR missions.
In addition, Thales signed an agreement with Renault Group to scale production of the Toutatis loitering munition, combining defense expertise with industrial manufacturing capabilities to strengthen France’s domestic drone production capacity.
